Stories
ArcWatch Expedition to the North Pole
ArcWatch Expedition to the North Pole The research icebreaker Polarstern reached the geographic North Pole during the two-month ArcWatch expedition in September 2023. The expedition started in August 2023 during the hottest summer on record during a parallel minimum in Arctic sea ice extent. The team of nearly 100 crew and scientists studied the Eurasian […]
Stars of Polar Night
“Stars of Polar Night” photo documentary project with text by Lars Abromeit, expedition reporter of GEO Ny-Ålesund, on Svalbard archipelago, is a special place: a village serving science – the last village before the North Pole. The former coal settlement is secluded on the shore of the Kongsfjord, at the 79th parallel. For more than […]
Polarnight
For the first time, I have experienced the polar nights on the sea ice of the Central Arctic Ocean. During the first part of the MOSAiC expedition, embarked on September 20th, 2019, we lived in complete darkness for almost 3 months, mesmerised by the magic of the polar nights every single day. Time had a […]
Women of Arctic Science
The ongoing portrait project “Women of Arctic Science”, uses photography to tell success stories of female Arctic climate scientists and explorers and their work in one of the world’s most challenging environments, by focusing on the diverse international science community in Ny-Ålesund, on Svalbard archipelago in Norway, the northernmost community of the world. Featuring the […]
IceBird – Station Nord, Greenland
Since 2001, the Arctic Ocean sea ice thickness has decreased by 30% in the summer months. According to sea ice models, the Arctic Ocean will be ice free during the summer months within the next 20-25 years. This beautiful, mesmerizing landscape will disappear along with the majority of the species that depend upon it. Who […]
Antarctica – closest place on Earth to space
Antarctica – closest place on Earth to space Fresh veggies from Antarctica, from the closest place on Earth to space. The Antarctic is a frigid continent south of the Antarctic Circle, where researchers are the only inhabitants. Despite the hostile conditions, here the Alfred Wegener Institute operates the Neumayer Station, where researchers live and work […]
About Esther
Esther Horvath is as a contributor photographer for National Geographic, is a Nikon Ambassador and photographer for the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. Her work focuses on documenting climate research in the polar regions.
In her official TEDx talk, Journey into Polar Night, she talks about her journey to becoming a polar photographer and the goals and challenges of the largest research expedition in the central Arctic Ocean called MOSAiC, where she was on board for three and a half months during the polar night near the North Pole.
Esther won the 1st price in World Press Photo Award, Environmental single category in 2020. In 2022, she received the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in New York for her work in raising awareness about conservation, environmental justice and climate change.
Esther’s work has been featured in National Geographic,The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Audubon Magazine and GEO Magazine.